Over 400,000 have pre-ordered iOS version of Hello Neighbor

Meanwhile, Google Play finally acknowledges that tinyBuild owns the IP

Over 400,000 people have pre-ordered tinyBuild's upcoming iOS release of Hello Neighbor two weeks ahead of its planned launch. Meanwhile, its planned Android release has finally overcome its Google Play clone game-induced hurdles.

The stealth survival horror game launched on PC and Xbox One at the end of last year and is planned for Switch, PS4, iOS, and Android on July 27. Per the announcement tweet, tinyBuild hopes to reach one million pre-orders on iOS before launch.

While that's great news for iPad and iPhone users, tinyBuild CEO Alex Nichiporchik only just resolved a frustrating conflict with Google Play to get the Android version of the game updated.

Nearly two weeks ago, Nichiporchik attempted to submit an update to the already-approved game on the Google Play Store. The update was rejected, with the reason given that the title, full description, and short description all mentioned other existing apps...specifically, "Hello Neighbor." Google Play was flagging the original game as a clone of its own clones.

In a Twitter thread, Nichiporchik highlighted the "hundreds" of clones of Hello Neighbor already existing on Google Play and documented his frustrations trying to prove to the store representatives that tinyBuild owned the IP. Initially, his request was denied, stating that tinyBuild was "violating a copyright" even though the studio owns the brand.

The game was finally approved four days later. Unfortunately for tinyBuild, pre-registration on Google Play still remains elusive, so the developer won't be able to reach the same milestones iOS pre-orders have on Android.

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